USAF losing confidence in Boeing

Armand2REP

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Failed to provide refueling tankers, USAF warns Boeing It's not happy
There's also the company's failure to provide a combat-ready refueling tanker, nine years after Boeing won a competition for the $44 billion project
Bloomberg Last Updated at January 18, 2020 21:43 IST



The Air Force’s top military officer has sent Boeing Co.’s new CEO a blunt reminder that the ill-fated 737 Max passenger jet isn’t the only troubled project he has to rescue.

There’s also the company’s failure to provide a combat-ready refueling tanker, nine years after Boeing won a competition for the $44 billion project.


“We require your attention and improved focus on the KC-46” tanker, General David Goldfein, the Air Force chief of staff, warned in a letter four days before Dave Calhoun took over as chief executive officer of the company. “The Air Force continues to accept deliveries of a tanker incapable of performing its primary operational mission.”

Calhoun has been entrusted with turning around a company that is reeling from a pair of crashes of the Max that killed 346 people and resulted in the grounding of its best selling jet, sent its stock into a swoon and raised questions about its commitment to safety.

“As one of your largest military customers, we also rely on a relationship of trust and confidence in not only Boeing’s products” but also the long-term sustainment effort needed for equipment that “our warfighters require,” Goldfein said in the Jan. 9 letter made available to Bloomberg News.

Calhoun is leading a once-proud company whose reputation for engineering prowess is now in tatters. On top of the grounding of its best-selling plane, Boeing has suffered delays to its 777X jetliner and an embarrassing mishap that caused its new space capsule to miss a rendezvous with the International Space Station.

The letter got Calhoun’s attention: He met with Goldfein on Wednesday, according to a Boeing official familiar with the issue. The same day at the White House signing ceremony for the initial trade agreement with China, President Donald Trump singled out Calhoun, quipping that “he’s got a very easy company to run. He just took over Boeing.” The president added, “Let me tell you, it’s not your fault, you just got there.”

Larry Chambers, a spokesman for Chicago-based Boeing, declined to comment on the meeting with Goldfein or the letter. “Boeing is fully committed to addressing the Air Force concerns with the KC-46 program and devoting resources required to make the KC-46 fully mission capable,” he said.

Brigadier General Ed Thomas, a spokesman for Goldfein, said “at this point the chief intends for any communications with our industry partners to be between himself and them.”

Multiple Cameras

In the letter, Goldfein expressed concern about the tanker’s crucial “Remote Vision System” and “additional unmet requirements.” The plane has multiple cameras used by an airman sitting at a console behind the cockpit to guide a 59-foot-long extended boom to connect with a plane needing fuel and then to monitor the procedure.

Shadows or the glare of the sun can hamper the cameras’ view on occasion, possibly resulting in scraping the plane being refueled or difficulty in performing the operation, according to the Air Force. Boeing officials have said they’ve deployed a software solution expected to overcome the main hurdle.

Despite agreement on a plan to repair the Remote Vision System, Goldfein said in the letter, “to date, progress has been unsatisfactory. More than a year has elapsed and Boeing has yet to provide” a design “that instills confidence in the way forward.”

“None of the timelines” in the agreement “has been met,” he said, “and Boeing’s latest proposal slips delivery of the final fix to the warfighter by over two years,” which he called unacceptable.

Thirty Tankers

The Air Force has taken delivery of 30 tankers to start aircrew and logistics training even as Boeing continues to work on fixes. The service last year started to withhold a percentage of final payment per aircraft that’s now at about $800 million, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek.

“If we elect to continue accepting aircraft deliveries at the current rate” the service will possess 70 “partially mission-capable” tankers by next year, Goldfein wrote.

The tanker also has started combat testing conducted by Pentagon evaluators and so far “over 500 deficiencies have been tracked to date and we’ve only just begun” that evaluation, Goldfein wrote. A Boeing official said none of the deficiencies are of the most serious category.

Goldfein told Calhoun he expects lawmakers to question during fiscal 2021 budget hearings why the Air Force continues to take delivery of an aircraft “not meeting multiple key performance parameters and a host of other requirements.”

Without a change in course, Goldfein wrote, “we will not be able to answer positively and we will have to acknowledge our serious concerns in two areas -- trust and safety.”

https://www.business-standard.com/a...rns-boeing-it-s-not-happy-120011800914_1.html
 

south block

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India Should shift to airbus or even Chinese, Russian or whatever in short term.... enough with this racist jibs by these white neo Nazi's ---- nobody own anyone anything ----- I think we need to look for Chinese in future ------- India need to control population, rising oil prices & Modi chetoos seller economy has already destroyed most Indian future specially poor ----- they are on the brink & religious chauvinism is all time high. It's time going back to villages and roots, build community trust, help each other--- poor & vulnerable the most, both Muslim & Hindus or any other religion people ---- time of India's own great depression has come and it's here to stay ----- population control as strict policy, with death penality if their is a female foeticide will help at least future generation cause current government is busy securing future of chetoos sellers and their children in midst of this global Chao's.
 
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Assassin 2.0

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India Should shift to airbus or even Chinese, Russian or whatever in short term.... enough with this racist jibs by these white neo Nazi's ---- nobody own anyone anything ----- I think we need to look for Chinese in future ------- India need to control population, rising oil prices & Modi chetoos seller economy has already destroyed most Indian future specially poor ----- they are on the brink & religious chauvinism is all time high. It's time going back to villages and roots, build community trust, help each other--- poor & vulnerable the most, both Muslim & Hindus or any other religion people ---- time of India's own great depression has come and it's here to stay ----- population control as strict policy, with death penality if their is a female foeticide will help at least future generation cause current government is busy securing future of chetoos sellers and their children in midst of this global Chao's.
So our commii nibbaa
Abki barr Congress sarkar phir too?.
Chinese see india as it's competition because of same population and India's rapid rise forces them to "KEEP INDIA IN CHECK".that is the basic reason for Chinese Pakistan alliance even after huge ideological differences.
Unless you are interested into selling india to Chinese which have constantly harmed our interest either by arming napak proxies or by constantly saving Terrorists like masood azhar.
Stfu commiii nibbaa you should give some placeto aline from bangaladesh.
 

south block

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So our commii nibbaa
Abki barr Congress sarkar phir too?.
Chinese see india as it's competition because of same population and India's rapid rise forces them to "KEEP INDIA IN CHECK".that is the basic reason for Chinese Pakistan alliance even after huge ideological differences.
Unless you are interested into selling india to Chinese which have constantly harmed our interest either by arming napak proxies or by constantly saving Terrorists like masood azhar.
Stfu commiii nibbaa you should give some placeto aline from bangaladesh.
America build Chinese economy from ground up ---- their trade war won't last long --- recent being Chinese buying 200 BN USD worth of goods from US ---- Modi won't reform or sign deals like RCEP cause chetoos seller won't survive foreign competition ---- he will burn India's youth & poor people future to save skin of chetoos nibbaa ----- but he is going to loose upcoming elections ---- stage has already been set.
 

Assassin 2.0

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America build Chinese economy from ground up ---- their trade war won't last long --- recent being Chinese buying 200 BN USD worth of goods from US ---- Modi won't reform or sign deals like RCEP cause chetoos seller won't survive foreign competition ---- he will burn India's youth & poor people future to save skin of chetoos nibbaa ----- but he is going to loose upcoming elections ---- stage has already been set.
Dreams of commiiies........... Nibbaa congresii A hole policies are the reason why india lacked in so many things.
Modi is fixing everything up stop watching congresii agenda on NDTV.
 

south block

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Dreams of commiiies........... Nibbaa congresii A hole policies are the reason why india lacked in so many things.
Modi is fixing everything up stop watching congresii agenda on NDTV.
Neither I care about congress nor BJP anymore my nibba :biggrin2: ---- I see them as two different side of same coin ---- I am a drifter now & see things on ground not on retard media ----- & things are not good my friend ---- for you & me probably & few so called urban middle class nibbaa times are excellent but not for majority ---- & by the way BJP is loosing Delhi if it didn't try to game the system :)
 

Assassin 2.0

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for you & me probably & few so called urban middle class nibbaa times are excellent but not for majority ---- & by the way BJP is loosing Delhi if it didn't try to game the system
BJP will lose Delhi because of free schemes which snake kejriwal provides.
Make everything free. Let piles of garbage get collected on street let roads be broken let infrastructure to be shitty but for votes lets keep giving free thing's.
My nibba kabhi bhi kisi ka muft ki item s bhala nhi hua h.
You act like we don't care about poor people of india but NIBBER bullet train k pase s loan maaf krne s ya indra gandhi k socialist era ki tricks and tips s. Agar kuch ho rha hota to aaj kisan gareeb nhi hota.

S jai Shankar - Chinese communism is only for face. Chinese are having more capitalism companies than india and much more easier access to foreign investment and open market.
:biggrin2:
 
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south block

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BJP will lose Delhi because of free schemes which snake kejriwal provides.
Make everything free. Let piles of garbage get collected on street let roads be broken let infrastructure to be shitty but for votes lets keep giving free thing's.
My nibba kabhi bhi kisi ka muft ki item s bhala nhi hua h.
You act like we don't care about poor people of india but NIBBER bullet train k pase s loan maaf krne s ya indra gandhi k socialist era ki tricks and tips s. Agar kuch ho rha hota to aaj kisan gareeb nhi hota.

S jai Shankar - Chinese communism is only for face. Chinese are having more capitalism companies than india and much more easier access to foreign investment and open market.
:biggrin2:
bhai hum woi tu tu mai mai karengay bar bar koi fayda Nahi ---- chaal Kal Baat karengay ---- I need to go to hospital early tomorrow ---- my illness has worsened ---- look like my time is up.
 

Suryavanshi

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What's got elections to do with this thread.

Boeing, Airbus, United, Sukhoi, Emirates nothing matters all that matters is indignisation and self sufficiency in the long run.

Leverage any company any country any organization as long as it serves our purpose.

USAF losing confidence in boeing? maybe they should think about investment in India
 

Armand2REP

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I'm wondering but there must be some US laws the bar other countries from buying Boeing or LM like companies?
Countries cannot buy them but multi-national companies can as long as they meet the security clearance of the US government. You would not be able to transfer technology by making such an acquisition.
 

Suryavanshi

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Yo I never understood this.
India and Russia both had Same doctrine for Government owned enterprise but one galloped like a horse but ours sludged at a snails pace.

I mean even after years HAL had problems with manufacturing aircraft without TOT but Companies like Sukhois and Migoyan were innovating, manufacturing and Exporting planes all around the globe.

Was there any structural difference between ours and thir PSU company?
 

Armand2REP

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Yo I never understood this.
India and Russia both had Same doctrine for Government owned enterprise but one galloped like a horse but ours sludged at a snails pace.

I mean even after years HAL had problems with manufacturing aircraft without TOT but Companies like Sukhois and Migoyan were innovating, manufacturing and Exporting planes all around the globe.

Was there any structural difference between ours and thir PSU company?
Since the collapse of the USSR there has not been much innovation out of those companies, just improving products that already existed or taking things that were already on the drawing board. Mikoyan is not what you would call a successful company, Sukhoi gains it's success by having the full support of the state and offering products that are competitive at their price point.

The difference is they have legacy work done by the FSU that limited development cost of their current product lineup which detached risk. That investment is still paying dividends today even 30 years later. By recycling the same Flanker design over and over again, that mitigated risk is turning full profit. India has no such legacy investment and product line to fall back and recycle on. They are building that with the Tejas and all of its derivatives. India is not there yet, but they are getting there.
 

Indx TechStyle

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one galloped like a horse
One had budget and lot if experience though with mismanagement.

They never "galloped" and have various overinflated, delayed and cancelled projects.

Ever compare the AMCA budget with that of F-22/35, J-20/31 and PAK-FA. You'll appreciate Indian agencies.
but ours sludged at a snails pace.
Not bad enough to be called snail pace at least.
 

Craigs

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Yo I never understood this.
India and Russia both had Same doctrine for Government owned enterprise but one galloped like a horse but ours sludged at a snails pace.

I mean even after years HAL had problems with manufacturing aircraft without TOT but Companies like Sukhois and Migoyan were innovating, manufacturing and Exporting planes all around the globe.

Was there any structural difference between ours and thir PSU company?
Competition. USSR actively set up multiple entities to do similar things and promoted competition among them with failure inviting sharp retribution like spending the rest of your life in a siberian gulag. Fear is the best motivator along with the knowledge that if you lose you will be freezing your ass off while your competitor will be enjoying natasha's in a caspian sea dacha.
 

Aaj ka hero

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spending the rest of your life in a siberian gulag
Nah,it wasn't like that myashichev despite not building the desired bomber was transferred along with his bureau to space research so you can't say they go to gulag.
Competition was there but most important THEY WANTED TO PROVE WHAT USSR can do and they had a good competition in USA so it was like this.
 

BON PLAN

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It's another LM like saga....

 

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